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This is a short interview with Dr. Lim. It’s fun to see and hear yet another doctor talk about their “ah ha” moment and evolution in their thinking and the way they now treat their patients.

The following is a partial quote from Physician’s Committee For Responsible Medicine.

“The interview was conducted at the Physician’s Committee’s 2017 Nutrition in Medicine conference.

Anthony Lim, MD, JD, Medical Director: Anthony Lim, MD, JDAs Medical Director, Dr. Lim oversees the medical care of participants in the McDougall Program. Dr. Lim is a board-certified family physician, and enjoys working closely with patients to help them adopt healthier habits that can significantly improve their overall health.

He is a graduate of Stanford University with a degree in Human Biology, and subsequently obtained his law degree from Harvard Law School and his medical degree from Boston University. He completed his residency training at Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency and has a busy career combining patient care, teaching, and community advocacy focused on whole food, plant-based nutrition.“

Most of us find it difficult to effectively talk to non-Vegans about Veganism. The reason why it’s especially hard to talk to people about Veganism is that the subject of what we eat is a very personal and deeply emotional for people.

I have seen and heard Vegans try to express their beliefs and convictions to others and it did more damage to Veganism than if they would just keep their mouths shut. The people walk away angry and more determined to not give it another thought and/or talk to another person about the subject again. It builds a divide.

This mainly happens when a person tries to persuade (scare, intimidate or shock) people into changing their lifestyle by making rude comments or making the others feel ashamed and negative. This method rarely works and most of the time does just the opposite. If you have been around the Vegan culture for any amount of time, I am sure you know what I am describing.

There is a way that really works and leaves no one angry or upset, all the while really making them think about their diet and the life choices they make.

Please take the time to watch these videos, this method allows the person to come to the conclusions on their own. You will also gain insights on how meat eaters think.

Earthling Ed explains the method in the below video. The second, third & fourth videos show his method being used as he talks to people about Veganism around the UK.

These next three videos below show Earthling Ed talking to everyday folks about Veganism.

I believe that the more we allow people to come to their own conclusions about Veganism intellectually, which will then allow them to embrace it emotionally, the more fruit we will see from our labors. And maybe, as an added benefit, we will meet and make some new friends along the way.

Of the 23% who did not eat vegan food for the month, 75% were vegan over 50% of the time. And of that 75%, most ate a completely vegetarian diet for all of January. Also, many people are including small slip-ups as failing to complete the entire month, whereas we regard it as a natural part of transitioning. It’s a learning curve! It’s also worth mentioning that a high proportion of omnivores (76%) and pescetarians (75%) completed an entire vegan month. That’s a really fantastic effort by all.

97% feel healthier after taking part!**

And 87% have noticed an increase in their energy levels, with another 87% also confirming some weight loss.

67% are staying vegan!*

Such amazing news! This figure is made up of 59% of the meat-eaters who responded to our survey, 64% of the pescetarians, and a whopping 75% of vegetarians. Interestingly, 21% are unsure of whether they’re staying vegan or not… If you are one of them, then we recommend you join our Facebook group for kind chat, recipes, and ideas. It’s helped (and helping) a lot of people feel more relaxed during their transition to veganism.

A huge number are reducing their consumption of animal products!*

95% have stopped eating or reduced their consumption of meat from cows, 94% have stopped eating or reduced their consumption of pigs, and 92% have stopped eating or reduced consumption of chickens. This is life-changing news for animals like Rocky, Ernie and Little Eric!

99% recommend Veganuary!*

Veganuary is very much a sum of its parts… We’re nothing without the people who take part. Thank you for trying vegan with us, and for recommending the experience to others. It will make a world of difference to the animals, and to our planet.

While in Austin Texas a couple weeks ago, I made it a plan to stop into the Vegan restaurant Counter Culture. The restaurant is located just east of down town at 2337 E Cesar Chavez St Austin, TX 78702If you are looking for James Beard award-winning fine dining, this is not your place. But if you want down home comfort food that will knock your socks off (and your cowboy boots), this place is for you. (The food looked much better in person than in the pictures below, lighting for pictures was not the best for my camera phone)

The restaurant is in an old brick building, the owner has done a nice job of creating a comfortable diner restaurant feel with an option of eating outside on the patio if you like.

We were greeted immediately upon entrance by a very pleasant young lady. All the staff there are friendly and make you feel at home. Up front they have the daily specials nicely scribed on a chalkboard. They also have a board that continually thanks the customers.

All their food I was told is made from scratch. They even make their own faux meats and all their own sauces and dips, even the ketchup. Also, most of their desserts are sweetened with dates, not sugar.

Their menu is a comfort food extravaganza as it would be in any diner. Also, every item on the menu if applicable, is marked with a designator indicating a special dietary needs category. An (R) means it is at least 95% Raw. A (GF) indicates it is gluten free. A (SF) means it is soy free and a (E2) indicates it is Engine 2 diet friendly. This makes eating here on a special diet easy.

The first day I visited. (Yes, it was so good I came back for breakfast the next day.) I ordered the Philly Seitan Sandwich with a side of Curry Quinoa Salad. The bread was soft and fresh, the cheeze sauce was warm and had a nice cheesy flavor everything on this plate was great.

Philly Seitan Sandwich with a side of Curry Quinoa Salad (You get your choice of one side)

My companion ordered the Mac & Cheeze. I was told it was their best seller on the menu and one day I was there they sold out of it. It was also cheesy and had a great flavor. It was topped with a bread crumb topping. I was told by my companion that it was one of the best vegan Mac & Cheeses she had ever eaten. My other companion ordered the Sausage Sauerkraut Sandwich. She was also very very happy with her meal. The sausage is made in-house.

Mac & Cheeze with a Ceaser salad and potato salad (You get your choice of two sides)

Sausage Sauerkraut Sandwich with a Ceasar salad. (Your choice of one side)

We ended that day’s lunch with desert. I had the Brownie Sundae. it was out of this world good. The brownie was soft but not too soft. I am not a big sweets fan and the brownie was not real sickening sweet like brownies can be. I believe that this is because they use dates to sweeten their desserts, it was outstanding. We also had their Coconut Cream Pie, OMG another home run!

Brownie Sundae

Coconut Cream Pie

The next morning we arrived just before they opened to try their breakfast/brunch. We enjoyed a nice conversation with a local gentleman that was waiting to pick up his pre-ordered Christmas Dinner.

We ordered the East Side Quesadilla, Breakfast Burrito, and Seasonal Omelet.We also ordered two sides just so we could taste. A side of potatoes and one Egg Nog pancake.

East Side Quesadilla and Roasted Potatoes with homemade ketchup

Breakfast Burrito and Orange, Kale and Ginger juice.

The Seasonal Omelet and Egg Nog Pancake with Cranberry Drizzle

All the food we had was outstanding!

The flavors were right on and presented well. The fruit was fresh and full of flavor. The breakfast burrito was huge and just as big on taste.

I was told by my companion that the Quesadilla was the best breakfast she had ever eaten, including non-vegan breakfast.

The omelet was light and fluffy full of fresh vegetables. Everything was so good that there was talk about driving up from San Antonio where we were staying later in the week just to get some more of the Counter Culture fare.

In a state that is known for and runs on Texas BBQ, Counter Culture is a breath of fresh air and a mouth of fresh food.

If you are ever in Austin Texas and in need of some good old Vegan comfort food then Counter Culture is a must eat at destination.

Mom’s old tater tot casserole is a comfort food icon and a dish that will warm the recesses of your heart. It was sure good tasting and full of love but not all that good for you.

Well, now you can enjoy this all-time favorite without the unhealthy side effects. Here is a recipe that hits all the taste buds as well as the texture and mouth feel. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and add flour, stirring until a paste then cook for 1-2 minutes, don’t let it brown.

On medium-high heat; slowly add broth and then the milk a little at a time constantly whisking.

Mix corn starch with cold water in a small bowl until it becomes a slurry. Add in cornstarch 1 tablespoon at a time, while heating to a boil, stirring constantly. Once it starts to boil, reduce heat to low, then taste. Depending on the saltiness of the broth you used, you can add 1 teaspoon salt and some black pepper to your taste.

In a skillet, saute the diced mushroom in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until soft.

Add cooked mushrooms to the soup mixture.

Then, saute onions and garlic in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, till onions are clear. Be sure not to scorch or burn the garlic because they will become bitter.

Brown ground crumbles in a little oil then combine it with the onion & garlic mixture, also add the frozen vegetables to this mixture at this time.

In lightly oiled 12″ x 8″ casserole dish, layer with the crumble mixture on the bottom, then the mushroom soup on top of that, and then completely cover top with frozen tater tots.

Bake uncovered for about 55-60 mins. At the very end you can broil the top to brown the tater tots a bit more if you like them more crispy. Serve warm!

When we arrived with no reservations on a Friday night around 6pm. We asked for a table and were told that they were all booked up and the wait would be about an hour and a half unless we wanted to dine at the bar. My party and I where hungry and so we agreed to sit at the bar.

The menu offered a limited amount of plates but this is a Trattoria which in Italy is larger than a cafe but smaller than a full restaurant and so the menu reflected that nicely. The offerings hit some of the traditional Italian fare. Gnocchi, ravioli, manicotti and much more.

They have a tasting menu, for $38, where you choose any three items from the menu and one desert. What else would any self respecting food blogger do than to order the tasting menu while reviewing a restaurant? I was there with two other people, so we all ordered the tasting menu and snuck tastes from each others plates, you know… so I could review a wide variety of their offerings.

We started with a basic kale caesar and an order of roasted rainbow carrots. Both were very good. The ceasar salad dressing was outstanding, they sell it there by the bottle. We were told that the portion sizes where a little smaller because it was the tasting menu size.

In my Italian family gnocchi is the king, the dish of all dishes, served only with pesto and not red sauce, so one of the first things I look for on a menu at an Italian restaurant is the gnocchi and if its served with pesto or red sauce. Portobello serves a gnocchi that is the best I have had this side of my grandmother’s homemade gnocchi. They add a few wonderful twists by first pan crisping the gnocchi leaving it a bit caramelized and crispy on one side as well as adding some finely chopped broccolini and a few cherry tomatoes, wow! It was so good I ate half of it before remembering to snap a photo. (This happens way too often to me it seems).

Seeing manicotti on the menu was a surprise to me because manicotti is mostly cheese and in my opinion is hard to make Vegan and still have that rustic Italian flavor and mouth feel. Well Portobello has done it well. Filled with spinach creamed cauliflower topped in marinara sauce and sprinkled with walnut parmesan.

I also ordered the breaded abalone mushroom with potato celeriac gratin, wilted spinach and dill lemon dressing. It was good but reminded all of us of a piece of English style fish & purple potato chips.

On to the desert.

One of us had the salted caramel sundae. It was salted caramel ice cream, caramels sauce, hot fudge, coconut whipped cream and candied walnuts. It was so good. All the flavors worked so well together and was not too sweet as to make you want to put down the spoon for a break.

We also enjoyed a s’more baked alaska. It was a meringue (made from aquafaba) covered chocolate ice cream with a graham cracker bottom. (It is not on the website menu pic above). Again, another outstanding desert. Spot on!

My understanding is that they change their menu items occasionally. While on Yelp looking at the reviews for Portobello I saw photos (290 of them) of plates that some of which were not offered the day we were there. All in all I will be back again. It was high quality food with friendly service and the only all Vegan Italian restaurant I have seen. 4 and a half stars out of 5.

Impossible Food’s has made a 100% Vegan burger that looks, cooks, tastes and smells like ground beef and even bleeds like a real burger.

It is rumored that it will be offered in selected restaurants in New York, Los Angels and San Francisco first. Then eventually it will be sold like ground beef in the stores and on the menu in other restaurants in the U.S.

From what I have seen it may be too realistic in flavor, look and taste for some Vegetarians and Vegans to stomach. It is so realistic it even bleeds juices when it cooks.

Google tried to buy this company for 200-300 million but was unable to come to an agreement on price. While Microsoft’s Bill Gates has invested in the company.

The possibilities for the use of this product are endless and I can hardly wait to try some as a burger, meat balls, or meatloaf.

Check out the companies website. I am sure they will be creating even more impossible foods very soon!

The 5th Annual 2016 Food Revolution Summit is just two days away! If you want to be informed and empowered and if you want to find out how you can prevent heart disease, cancer, diabetes, fatigue, poor sleep and other heath issues with food as well as improve your over all life then the Food Revolution Summit is for you. The best part is that it is completely FREE!!!! And you don’t have to leave your home to take advantage of it!!